If there is one reason that the incredibly hot summers in India are looked forward to and welcomed with open arms, it has to be the fruit that comes along with the heat and rules not only the season but the hearts of one and all - the Mango! Mangoes tide you through the hot weather in many forms ... from the delectable aam ka panna to aamras. From mango milkshake and lassi to mango chutney. From mango ice cream to cold mango juice and drinks. From super sweet mango desserts to spicy pickles, there are many many ways to enjoy this incredible fruit. Of course all this is in addition to just eating the fruit all by itself, in its pure natural form, loaded with flavor and scent and sweetness. And naturally, if one has to bake a cake to celebrate in the summers, it has to have mangoes in some form or the other.

This mango cake recipe just came to me one day in Singapore when I was about to make a cake for a dinner party with my team which also had a birthday celebration in it. And I was trying to think of the right fruit to put in this cake and could not think of anything better. The recipe was made in Singapore with imported mangoes and it tasted very good and all the time I kept imagining how good this would be with in-season Indian mangoes.

There are different ways of incorporating mango flavor into the cake itself. I made a plain sponge cake from a box cake mix. One could add mango flavor or mango juice to the cake batter but in my prev experiences, mango cakes dont bake as well as we would like them to. So I prepared a simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water. I flavored this syrup with good quality mango extract. I used this syrup to drizzle over the cake halves before I layered them with the filling. The cake can be made eggless just as easily by using an eggless cake as the base.

The filling was made by combining diced fresh mango with some of the frosting. This tasted so good in every bite as the juicy flavorful mango pieces gave a refreshing contrast to the smooth and satiny frosting . I did not add any extract to this but in case you don't have access to in season flavorful mangoes, feel free to add a few drops of mango extract to the filling and it will add to the flavor.

The frosting itself was a butter-shortening-sugar frosting inspired from this recipe at allrecipes, very simple to prepare. I did add a few drops of extract to the outer frosting so that one could get a slight hint of the mango flavor even before the cake was eaten. If you are not planning to make any pipings or decorations with the icing, feel free to add some thick mango puree or pulp to this to enhance the mango flavor. The cake once frosted can also be covered with fresh mango pulp mixed with gelatine which sets on top of the cake giving it a fresh mango flavor in every bite. The only thing to note with this is that the pulp needs to be very smooth (good quality mango juice can also be used) and the quantity of gelatine has to be correct so that the gelatine is neither too soft nor too hard.

Sponge cake:

1 recipe box cake mix (can be eggless too), prepared according to package instructions and baked into 2-9 inch round cake pans. Once the cakes are baked, remove from the oven, remove from the pans after 5 minutes. Set aside on a wire rack to cool.

Simple Syrup:

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp mango extract

Method:

Boil the sugar and water in a pan till the syrup takes a slightly thick consistency. Remove from fire and allow to cool. Once cooled, add the mango extract and set aside.

Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup shortening

1/8 cup milk

3 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon mango extract

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat on low speed of electric mixer until well blended and very smooth.

Filling:

Ingredients:

1 mango diced

3/4 cup frosting prepared above

1/2 tsp mango extract (optional)

Method:

Combine the frosting and mango pieces (extract optional) and set aside.

Assembling the cake:

1. Remove the parchment from the bottom of the cake rounds and level them on the top by cutting off the round tops horizontally with a knife.

2. Drizzle the simple syrup over the cut side of the cakes. Put one cake round on a plate, cut side up and place the filling on top. Cover with the other layer, cut side down.

3. Frost the cake with plain frosting and decorate as you like. Allow the cake to set in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours atleast before serving.